SIGN ON TO PROTECT THE ARCTIC REFUGE

Creation Justice Ministries has long opposed drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, not only to protect God’s creation, but also because of our commitment to standing with the Gwich’in people, the Alaska Native community who have cared for the Refuge since time immemorial.

For daily sustenance, the Gwich’in depend on the Porcupine caribou herd, whose birthing patterns would be disrupted by oil exploration in the Refuge, ultimately threatening the survival of both the caribou and the Gwich’in people.

Follow the Politics

JUNE 2018 UPDATE:The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) is no longer safe.Two Alaska Native corporations and an oil services form have jointly applied to begin seismic testing on the refuge’s pristine 1.5 million-acre coastal plain—the calving grounds of the Porcupine caribou herd, which the nearby Gwich’in First Nation relies on for food security and culture.This development is according to a permit application The Washington Post obtained and published Thursday. The Post even got its hands on the Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) response to the application, which said the plan was “not adequate” because it failed to include studies on how tests would impact wildlife and environment. The permit application requests to begin exploration this winter, with two 150-person teams arriving to the land even the Gwich’in don’t visit out of respect for it.“Why can’t they just wait to have more information?” said Bernadette Dementieff, the executive director of the Gwich’in Steering Committee, to Earther. “The oil isn’t going anywhere. There’s nothing wrong with waiting. It makes no sense to rush.”But the push to extract oil from ANWR is moving fast: In April, the Bureau of Land Management, under which the FWS sits, opened a public comment period to help prepare the Environmental Impact Statement for any potential drilling. The bureau gave no indication then that companies could begin applying so soon for seismic testing, a process to find oil and gas deposits that sends sound waves underground. Seismic testing requires large crews, and the trails from the crews that conducted similar seismic testing on the ANWR’s coastal plain back in the ’80s still mark the terrain.The proposedexploration would also cover a much vaster area than drilling supporters had let on.“This is the polar opposite of what was promised by drilling proponents,” said Alaska Wilderness League Executive Director Adam Kolton, in a press release. “Instead of a small footprint and a careful process, they want to deploy a small army of industrial vehicles and equipment with a mandate to crisscross every square inch of the Refuge’s biological heart.”The companies applying for testing permits argue that they’ve come together to help minimize any environmental damage. They plan to use sleds, smaller vehicles, and biodegradable lubricants, as well as build ice roads, per The Post.They’ll also be using explosives and airstrips to get the job done.The Alaska Native corporations—Arctic Slope Regional Corporation and Kaktovik Iñupiat Corporation—don’t represent Gwich’in people, but they have stakeholders in the Native village of Kaktovik. This community supported oil and gas activity in 2005, but in February, the mayor issued a resolution urging Congress to prevent drilling in the ANWR.Dementieff has faith Alaska Native tribes throughout the region will come together to stop this extraction. She didn’t know about this application until I called her this morning, and she was in disbelief when she heard. “That is completely insane and disrespectful,” she said.She emphasized that the fight to keep oil and gas interests out of ANWR isn’t over.“We’ll go to every courtroom,” she said. “We’ll go to every community meeting. We’re not giving up. We’re not going to allow them to destroy the calving grounds.”

Many members of the Gwich'in community are part of the Episcopal Church, and blend traditional indigenous belief systems with Christian theology and practice. Since the Episcopal General Convention passed a resolution in 1991, this issue has been a top priority of the Episcopal Church. ​​Many other faith traditions have also made commitments over the years to stand with the Gwich'in. Because of this, Creation Justice Ministries is calling on the ecumenical community to join in solidarity.

Creation Justice Ministries, it’s partners, coalition members, and many others stand with the Gwich’in people in solidarity to preserve the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Here are some examples of what solidarity looks like:

Princess Daazhraii Johnson is Neets'aii Gwich'in. Her grandparents are the late Katherine & Steven Peter of Arctic Village. She has a BA in International Relations from the George Washington University in DC and an M.Ed. in Education from University of Alaska Anchorage. In 2015, Princess was appointed to the Board of Trustees for the Institute of American Indian Arts by President Obama and does community organizing through Native Movement and Fairbanks Climate Action Coalition. She lives in Fairbanks with her husband James and their three boys.

The Rt. Rev. Carol Gallagher, PHD is a member of the Cherokee tribe and serves as Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of Montana and as Bishop Missioner for the Bishops’ Native Collaborative. Her most recent writing can be found in Coming Full Circle: Constructing Native Christian Theology (August 2015). Her most recent book is entitle Family Theology (2012) and her first book, Reweaving the Sacred (2008), focused on congregational development. She was honored as a Procter Fellow at EDS and with a Louisville Institute Grant. She has served as Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of Newark and as Bishop Suffragan in the Diocese of Southern Virginia.Carol is married to Mark Gallagher and they have three daughters, Emily, Ariel, and Phoebe as well as three grandchildren, Lillian, Silas and Destiny. As the first American Indian female bishop in the Episcopal Church and the first Indigenous female bishop in the worldwide Anglican Communion, Carol shows her gratitude to God by honoring her elders love and teachings, and by offering her gifts and skills for Christ’s service and to do justice within and beyond the Church.

Congress must protect lands sacred to Gwich’in people by Rt. Rev. Carol Gallagherhttp://helenair.com/news/opinion/guest/congress-must-protect-lands-sacred-to-gwich-in-people/article_c23b7b9b-422e-54b8-9775-f539696f64ea.html

Katharine Jefferts Schori was elected Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church in June 2006 and until November 2015 served as chief pastor to The Episcopal Church’s members in 17 nations, working to strengthen mission partnerships across the Anglican Communion and with other religious partners. Bishop Jefferts Schori has been vocal about mission priorities, including the United Nations Development Goals (MDGs and SDGs), domestic poverty, climate change and care for the earth, and international issues of peace and justice.

Prior to her role as presiding bishop, Bishop Jefferts Schori served as Bishop of Nevada, and earlier was a university lecturer (fisheries, religious studies, and philosophy), priest, and hospice chaplain in Oregon. She speaks passionately for the role of all the baptized in serving God’s mission of healing the world. In 2016 she served as Trotter Visiting Professor at Virginia Theological Seminary and as St. Margaret’s Visiting Professor at Church Divinity School of the Pacific. She is currently Assisting Bishop in the Diocese of San Diego.

Dr. Jefferts Schori began her career as an oceanographer. Her research focused on cephalopods – including systematics, fisheries, and evolutionary theory. In the mid-1980s, Dr. Jefferts Schori worked as an oceanographer for the National Marine Fisheries Service. She holds a B.S. degree in biology from Stanford University, an M.S. and Ph.D. in oceanography from Oregon State University, and has been awarded several honorary doctorates. She has served on President Obama’s Council on Neighborhood and Faith-Based Partnerships, and on the Division of Earth and Life Studies board of the National Academy of Sciences.